Ultra Endurance Level Achieved

It is 1st week after 60km ultramarathon. And it is 1st time I was completely free from DOMS, no muscle soreness at all, no interruption of training. I completed 9 training run this week, total 129km in 14hrs, longest 30.7km. It was a successful race strategy to stop at 60km. I gained barefoot running experience without sacrificing training continuity. And also tested my safe long run distance. I could put my self into at least 60km long run in my training session. That is essential to ultra training: I was able to carry on 100miles weekly mileage and 38miles long run. It is beyond most average ultra training requirement. I'm confident to complete 100km ultra soon.
Let's get back to my current focus: Sundown marathon less than 2 months later. I'll continue my weekly mileage building up to 200km. Continue to improve Yasso800 speed, currently at 3:20 per session. Continue to improve 30km long run pace, currently at 6:30/km. Most important, my MAF speed, last week at 5:43/km, this week over 6min/km due to high cortisol level after race. I wish MAF reach below 5:15/km so it will be confident to run a 3:30 marathon. Wish me good luck!

Twilight Ultra 2014: A Testing of My Barefoot Running Edge

I finally gave up 100km plan on Twilight Ultra last month because I didn't think I could extend long run to 60km within 1 month. So it became a part of Sundown marathon training run. I set target to 50km to avoid impact on next day training. The pace should be close to my longest run in Jan, ~7:30/km. Anyway it would be my longest barefoot run.

The ultra is about recovery and wearing out. When to wearing out is irreversible and reach to its end, the game is over. For me the muscle recovery, hydration and energy refill are reversible because I spent sufficent aerobic training time to bring up fat recovery and fat burning ability. At lower intensity workout, my muscle is not easy to wear out and carbonhydrates are conserved. That is why I could run almost 100miles a week while keep my leg refreshed. Even interval training were recovered within 12hrs. I'v done at least 3 doubles a week and soon I'll be run 30km perday. The only irreversible thing is my barefoot soles wear out. It have been stronger and stronger as barefoot mileage accumulates but still limilted by the longest run I'v ever run. I could not imagine I could run 100km with longest run only 43km. In my experience, the longest run should be at least 2/3 of race distance.

The race started 7pm Saturday evening, I'v loaded my stomach with 250gm pasta at 6pm. I had experience in running with stomach full so it was not a problem to me. The only thing is I had to slow down my pace to ~8min/km pace due to blood stream diverted to digestive system. It took me more than 3 hrs to empty my stomach. And once emptied I could run below 7min/km pace. I only got my first refuel at 30km mark with 2 slice of peanut buttered bread and one cup of hot milo I brought. Hot milo made my stomach felt refreshed. In contrast to cold drinks, the cold chilled body but tortured stomach, too much cold drink might induce vomiting. The refuel was right on time and I set off with brand new body after 10min break. Though pace was slowered down again but soon I picked up 7min pace. I planned to refuel every 15km. I was steady till I went to 45km mark for 2nd refuel. It was a bit late than last. Before that I was thinking to challenge myself with 100km again but after this 10min break I doubted. My pace was not as easy as before. I needed to keep me focused on running form to ignore the pain in the soles. The west strech of the course was very dirty and unfriendly to my soles. Small gravels stuck on my soles and tried to sting/pucture me. After 55km mark finally came the wall, two big gravels hurt my left soles made me decide to finish it. The last 5km I was running on my edge and finised strong in time of 7:58. Now I climbed to 60km peak, 2/3 rule worked and was safe. So 100km is just next to it! If I was free from DOMS, I could repeat this 60km long run any time I like in preparing for 100km race. Just keep watching.

Sunday afternoon I was able to went out for a recovery run. 6.5km in 8min/km pace. Quads was slightly sore but not a big deal. 

NE Passion Run 2014: Volunteer Job Done

I was assigned to take care starting area. The day before during reccee I found same reccessed drainage cover persisted after last NE Run 2 years ago. The one made one runner fell before me. So I worked with another volunteer Mr Tee covered it with cupboards and fixed with self-fasten stripes.
The event day we assembled at 5am. After having breakfast we began deployment. I was allocated 10 runner volunteers from our CC, and another 9 students volunteers from NTU. I asked Mr Tee lead 4 volunteers to set up barriers along the route. And led the rest to set up starting pen. The organizer didn't provide sufficient barriers. So I used the tapes to seal the starting area with limited barriers. And set up a gate at the end. The enclosed area was about 150m long so should be no problem to accommodate 600 runners (the number the organizer Provided me for each wave). I deployed 4 marshalls to guide the route, 2 taking care of starting line, 2 stay at park entrance to guide the runners, the rest taking care of starting pen.  There were 3 waves today. 1st wave men's open starting at 7am. I open the pen for them at 6:30, and asked others to wait outside. At 7:15, I closed the pen, reset starting point and let 2nd wave (women open and men veteran) in. And asked the men open late comer to follow. They started at 7:30. And last, the 4k fun runner. They start after 8am. 

All went smoothly and only one runner without bib, brutally get off my hands when I asked him his bib. Shame on him. We volunteers were not policeman, we'll not use force on him as long as him did not trouble other runner. Our duty is only to keep runners safe. 

It was a nice day. The haze gone and shower came only after race. So blessed.

Some suggestion to the organizer. Enclose start point with barriers according to the wave size. Set signboards and volunteers guide runners to starting points. Depoly cyclist sweaping after last runners, and give sign to the marshalls to reccess.

Peak Mileage Returns

2 Mar 2013, 25~32C, partly cloudy.
It has been 2 months no rain but weather still cool in the morning and evening. I ran every evening in Meridian JC, and some recovery runs in the morning. Seikiya's pattern works for me. This week I achieved 127km mileage. I made same record in last Apr. But this time it was much easier because I have 3 days doubles. Doubles are good for mileage accumulation. It gives more recovery time between runs. Most important is morning run. It was brilliant to put recovery run in the morning. Because I need glycogen depletion training no more. It does relief stress from previous hard workout. I could put two hard workout in my training. Tuesday 10xYasso800, Thursday Fartlek. Later I will migrate to tempo and interval. Between them were 90min MAF runs in Moday, Wednesday and Friday. The recovery run depend on my condition. If I were too tired, I opt sleep instead push me the the morning run. So this week I only did 3 morning recovery run. Saturday I did 30.6km long run, thanks to the speed work, long run pace improved by 15 more seconds per km, even though the day was hot. Sunday I follow Elias CC elite runner Simin. I was able to follow his pace till last few hundreds meters for the 9.2km distance. We started from 5:00/km pace, then 4:30/km, in the last km, Simin kicked to 4:00/km. I tried to catch up but failed in the last 300 meters.I only did 4:15/km at last and felt hard to get faster. I realized speed was very hard achieve, even in my fartlek runs, I could only achieve 3:17/km pace for a 90sec sprint session. I can't imagine how the Kenyans run under 3:00/km pace in a marathon. They are genius.
For two weeks I have incorporated speed work in my weekly training. It was time to do it,which I had paused for 3 year. Thanks to the pure base training in the past 3 years. I had no muscle strain, no signs of injury, and over training. It's time to be a speed demon!

Pampered by tracks

21 Feb 2014, 27C, cloudy.
Morning 6.3km recovery run in Pasir Ris Park. Evening 10.7km track run in MJC. I'm a kind of addicted to track running because of the so luxurious pampered feeling for barefoot running. No worry of gravels, glass and uneven terrain. Just focus in running, focus on form. I slowly warm up from 8min pace, after 2miles I just reached 6:20/km pace under MAF HR (140). The best MAF pace 6:08/km was in 5th mile. It seemed I slowly picked up my speed.

New Running Pattern To Balance Life

20 Feb 2014, 27C, sunny.
Morning recovery run 6.3km. The stiff calf was relaxed after 5km. I only realized it took more time to warm up in the morning than evening, and heart rate tended to be higher. No wonder Seikiya only run 5km in the morning, and left most mileage in evening. It was a good pattern I could adopt in the future. 6.3km jog to warm up body for a fresh new day, no need to get up too early and keep sufficient sleep. Evening take wife and kids to MJC track: a good place for longer workout while keeping kids within sight. And my wife and I could also coach them to run.
This evening I need to attend last meeting for coming NE Run. So my wife took kids to MJC alone. But soon they came back because Feican fell and broke her knees. I clean her wounds and found it OK. Kids need to be carefully attended.

Family barefoot fun run

19 Feb 2014, 27C, sunny.
1st time 2 runs in a day, morning 6.3km recovery run, evening 9.6km easy with fartlek bursts. My wife and my two princess also join me in evening run @ Meridian JC. They enjoyed the barefoot fun in the track. I paced Feican for 5 laps to encourage her run slow to conserve stamina, and finished with an 100m dash. The I proceeded with my training. Later Feican found a boy at her age, then competed with him, added a few laps mileage. Quite impressive. But her form is no longer as natural as 3 yrs ago when she used to play in barefoot. She developed a few bad shod habits, e.g. tread heavily, slap the ground...I asked her to run silently and swiftly. It will took some time to get her back again.